Blah Blah Blah

I never used to be a believer in the adage that “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” I graduated with a degree in education, after all, and now part of my job is conducting client training in digital best practices.

I have officially Changed My Mind, and it’s all the so-called “experts” that led me to do so.

Look, I get it: blog post titles are good linkbait. People like simple, short lists of things they can do immediately. But today I counted no fewer than 50 articles in my Google Reader with headlines beginning with phrases like “3 Easy Steps” or “5 Habits” or “10 Secrets,” all purporting to wield some great knowledge about social media in particular and online content in general.

While I’m sure the pagerank for these blogs is great, and they’re highly trafficked and highly commented leading to an enormous ego stroke for the authors, I’ll let you in on a little secret: They all said the same thing.

Actually, they didn’t, but they all blurred together in an acidic whirl of blah blah blah. My “Technology” folder in Google Reader is starting to look like a classic Ren and Stimpy background.

Because I’m a curmudgeon like that, I’m going to slash all their tires and let you in on the biggest secret of digital media; the secret none of these shaman will tell you, lest their careers, speaking engagements and book deals go the way of the dodo:

Be interesting, relevant, and valuable.

The end. Period. Insert fork.

Yes, you have to monitor and measure and all that jazz. Those are just the tools of the trade and we’ve all got the same bucket of Legos to play with. But if you’re interesting, relevant, and valuable, you’ll see return in spades.

If over time your interesting, relevant, valuable content about your product doesn’t lead to anything, your product probably sucked anyway. Or maybe someone else did it better. Whatever. The point is, a salient reason to keep coming back and keep buying, paired with quality offerings, is the whole shooting match.

Now stop reading so many blogs and start making things interesting (and relevant and valuable).

Our CEO and fearless leader Taulbee Jackson always says if you can’t offer a solution, don’t complain about a problem.

As most mothers did, my mother always told me if I couldn’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.

My grandmother probably said it best: “If you keep mouthing off like that, a bigger boy’s going to pop you one.”

Perhaps JetBlue was privy to the advice of all three and, in the online flap surrounding the epic bailout of a frustrated flight attendant, chose to say nothing. It was a full two days before the company acknowledged the incident on their blog.

“While we can’t discuss the details of what is an ongoing investigation, plenty of others have already formed opinions on the matter. Like, the entire Internet.”

Zing!

I absolutely loved the humanity behind this post. A little bit of friendly ribbing goes a long way in my book. But the bigger message here was more important:

JetBlue tacitly admitted they couldn’t hope to control the online wildfire, and didn’t plan to try.

The story became bigger than the company itself, and any kind of real-time damage control would come off contrived and defensive.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I don’t think so.

My initial reaction to their silence was to wonder why they didn’t swoop into guardrail mode and turn that internet frown upside down. How about taking the opportunity for a little public give-and-take on airline safety procedures? In keeping with their usual humorous tone, maybe something akin to, “Our flight attendants take the safety demonstrations really seriously.”

I was not alone in this sentiment; the general consensus among social media marketing mavens like Michael Levine and Conor Brady was that JetBlue’s silence was deadly.

But as more details emerged and the story progressed into an investigation and possible legal ramifications, JetBlue showed better instincts than I. They kept it under their hats for a couple of days/news cycles, then laid waste to the room with their clever, brief retort.

With all the social media tools at their disposal, they chose a simple, direct, and wittily self-deprecating approach. Their response showed that just because you have the ability to say something (and say it all over the damn place), that doesn’t mean you should.

Maybe I should’ve paid more heed to my grandmother; it sure seems JetBlue did.

Let me know

What do you think? Was my grandma right? Or did JetBlue just get lucky? Or do you just want to hear more of my grandma’s sage witticisms? Let me hear it in the comments.

Corporate Blogging for Dummies

Run, don’t walk, to your favorite local bookstore and pick up a copy of our good friend Doug Karr’s new book, “Corporate Blogging for Dummies.”

(Okay, you could also click to your favorite online bookseller.)

Trust us, you need this book. And it’s not just because we at Raidious are in the book on pages 126 and 127 (not that we were looking or anything).

Doug, proprietor of DK New Media and the Marketing Tech Blog, is a brilliant and insightful thinker and doer in the field of online marketing. We just got our shipment from Amazon, and we can’t wait to dive in to read all he has to say.

(Full disclosure: Matt Chandler and Ryan Smith of Raidious are contributing writers on Marketing Tech Blog.)

New Raidious Training Service

Matt Chandler

If you’re a smaller business without the resources to hire writers to blog about your services and engage in social media, that’s no reason not to do it yourself.

If you need help getting your blog started, understanding the tricks and techniques of social media, or learning how to use the right tools to accomplish your online marketing goals, Raidious can help.

We offer a variety of seminars and sessions on topics including:

• writing for the web,
• best practices,
• creating a social media marketing plan,
• social media for crisis communications,

and more.

These sessions can be conducted on- or off-site, and are delivered by the personable and engaging Matt Chandler, an emerging thought leader in the field and skilled trainer.

A little about Matt:

• Content Architect and Lead Trainer for Raidious
• background in elementary and secondary education
• over 10 years’ experience managing online content for enterprise organizations including NYU Langone Medical Center and Community Health Network
• member of the Information Architecture Institute and the American Advertising Federation
• guest lecturer for groups including the Public Relations Society of America and Butler University
• featured guest blogger on Social Medial Today and Marketing Tech Blog
• regular guest on Sirius Satellite Radio.

And if you ask nicely he might bring George Benson along with him.

Get in touch with us for more information.

So you are now all set up on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Awesome! Now there is a new network joining the mix, and it has quickly become one of the big ones: Foursquare. What is it? Where is going?

Foursquare is a location-based social networking system that is starting to spread like wildfire. The platform has a ton of possibilities moving forward. Restaurants, bars, and clubs are already on board, posting coupons and incentives for customers to check in at their locations.

Ready to jump on the Foursquare train? Here are a few tips for how to get started:

Start a Foursquare account, and start checking-in on your phone. Let’s be honest, it is a fun network to play around with, and droves of people are starting to use the app in cities both large and small.

Is your business consumer based? Start offering incentives for customers to check-in at your location. I have personally utilized a few free appetizer incentives myself, and I have seen some great retail deals around the local mall. Your customers will see your special offers in a pop up on their screen when they are near your location, so the app helps drive people to your location, or at least prompt them to take a look.

If you are in charge of multiple locations, make sure you log on and claim them. As Foursquare grows, so will the number of people trying to claim businesses that do not belong to them.

Foursquare is still new. Most businesses are still trying to figure out how it can benefit them, but it is a social media tool that millions of people are joining. It can’t hurt to get involved. Like a social media campaign, take time to strategize how you want to utilize the tool, and execute.

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Fan pages are all the rage today for businesses both large and small. My experience has been that personal pages can be just as powerful, and even more so in most cases. The key is finding a balance between your personal life and your business life with your online presence.

Sales people and entrepreneurs have an incredibly powerful tool at their disposal in a platform like Facebook. You can connect to hundreds or even thousands of potential customers, and even make those people active advocates for your cause … if you know how to communicate to them.

You see, people love dogs and kids. Photos of little Sally and Fido playing in the back yard are great for drawing friends, family, and acquaintances to your page, but that’s not going to do much for your business. Following that post up with a post about your new latest and greatest company news can lead to something more profitable.

Balance is the most important part of social media marketing. Everyone hates the sales guy who follows you around the showroom floor. Do not become that guy online.

It says it all right there in the first word, “social” media. In order to communicate effectively, and build relationships online, you have to be social. No one likes the guy that talks shop 24/7.

In order to keep your audience interested, find a balance between your personal content, and promoting your business online.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Every so often I’ll have a client approach me about buying followers on Twitter, or advertising on Facebook. I’m sure there are a few organizations that would benefit from these tactics, but I’ve never been a part of one.

Content draws interest, not the number of subscribers.

It truly does not matter if you have 100 or one million followers. The only thing that matters is that you are creating and communicating your message in a unique way to those who are paying attention. The better the content, the more traffic you are going to generate. Building a huge base with no content just leads to a bunch of people who do not care about what you are saying.

One million followers who do not care about you is worth nothing; 100 followers who will actively advocate for you is priceless.

How do you generate this content? Well, that’s another post. If you are new to the social media business world, start with researching what your competitors are doing. Learn what is working and what is not.

Social media platforms are the ultimate capitalistic form of marketing: open competition for any and all to see what kind of tactics are being used by the competition. The key is understanding what is working and what is not. The one fail-safe in all of this chaos is content.

In this business it is just as important to learn about what others are doing as it is to be working on your own projects. Therefore I am constantly searching platforms and watching how others are developing content.

One of my favorite quotes is from the TV show The West Wing, in which a speech writer says that “good writers borrow from other writers, and great writers just flat out steal from them.”

This could not be more true with social media marketing. Learn what content works, create it, and watch your numbers grow.

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Image via Wikipedia

In honor of the opening of the 2010 baseball season, I would like to pose the question: are you a social media Yankee or a social media Marlin?

To put this into context, I lived in Brooklyn for almost four years and I’m decidedly a Mets fan. The Yankees are both the most loved and most hated baseball franchise ever, with a reputation for letting money be no object in the pursuit of winning.

Public perception aside, the Yankees have won the most World Series championships (27) of any baseball team in history. Why? Because they know how to build a team, and how to maintain a singular focus: winning.

The Florida Marlins, by contrast, have won two World Series. Their latest in 2003 came after hiring a slew of young, mostly unproven players. They entered the playoffs as a wild card, and upon defeating the aforementioned Yankees promptly dismantled the team.

How does this relate to social media strategy? In establishing your plan, you have the power to choose whether you’re a perennial winner or a flash in the pan, a Yankee or a Marlin. Let me explain:

Perennial Winner

The New York Yankees are the most successful team in Major League Baseball history, and in fact have more championships than any other North American team in any sport. Some of the most recognizable talent in the history of sports has played for the team, including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra–household names even to non-baseball fans.

The Bronx Bombers also have the highest payroll of any American sports team, and every off season they attract all star free agents looking to be a part of a championship team. Consequently, they’re often derided for “buying” World Series titles and “stealing” talent from other teams.

The Yankees have figured out a model that works, and do everything they can to make certain they’re in a position to attract winning talent. They’re constantly expanding their marketing and recruiting into new markets like China and Japan, and they’ll spend as much as it takes to accomplish their one goal: championships.

Flash In the Pan

The Florida Marlins assembled a team composed of mostly young players, and by a combination of talent and sheer luck won the 2003 World Series. After the season, they traded away many of the star players on their roster who were suddenly worth more than the team was willing to pay.

They traded first baseman Derrek Lee to the Cubs where he proceeded to put up career high numbers. They also lost pitcher Ugueth Urbina and all-star catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to free agency. The following season they limped to an 83-79 record, only the third winning season in franchise history, and failed to make the playoffs. It sometimes appears every move they make is a cost-cutting measure. It’s no coincidence that they’ve struggled to make the playoffs since 2003.

There Is No Off Season

Short-lived victories are relatively easy to accomplish. You hit the market at just the right time with just the right idea, that concept is retweeted and shared and manages to go viral. Your company sees a spike in traffic and conversions, and suddenly you’re a big winner.

That social media campaign, despite its successes, was expensive. The conversions weren’t quite what you expected, and were perhaps lower than those for traditional media. So you reduce that line item in the budget, bring in some new players, and forge ahead with the same game plan.

But the world has moved on: someone else scooped up your all stars, and came up with some new strategies. Maybe it was even your larger, more successful competitor who took note of what you did and appropriated it, massaged it, and made it their own–albeit with bigger financial backing. Suddenly you’re right back where you started.

Marketing doesn’t have a World Series. There is no spring training or off season. While you’re busy cutting costs and hoping to repeat success, someone else is building on their already strong foundation. They’re developing talent on their farm team, assembling a strong bullpen, and putting up the funds to win.

Don’t be a Marlin. Be a Yankee. You might be hated in some circles, but you’ll have a nice display case full of championship trophies.

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Tip o’ the hat to Social Media Today for seeing fit to feature my recent Raidious blog post “Social Media Strategy: Are You Marketing or Communicating?”

If you read the article, feel free to give it a comment. If you haven’t, go on over and check it out.

Had a great time this morning with the Indiana Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s session on “The New Normal”.

I got to present with Slingshot SEO’s Jeremy Dearringer (a genius) and Kevin Bailey (also a genius). Also, Rodger Johnson from YourPRGuy was there, the Global Director of PR from Cook Medical, the head of PR from the NCAA, and several other amazing speakers. Lots of bright folks, I was way out of my league.  : ) Honored to even be in the same room with them.

Wow.

My topic today was the “how” behind social media. I went over several different tools, including one of our favorites at Raidious, Radian6. When I got back to my office, I found an email from Radian6 talking about their new product launch which was very exciting, and which I wrote about over on SocialMediaRisk.com. You should check it out – game changer for large enterprise.

If you were in today’s session and you have more questions for me, please email me or leave a comment. Great audience today, really enjoyed the event. Thanks Hoosier PRSA and Indiana Chamber of Commerce!

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